Programming Failure PICKit 4 / CCS IDE / CCS Load

Backfire · Joined: 12 Oct 2020 Posts: 46

Hi All,
I'm hoping someone can point out a solution to my issue.

I have a custom PCB, hosting a PIC18F25K20, I have successfully programmed this device, on this board using the CCS IDE (CCS Load) and a PICKit 4.

I have now moved my development board to my office, and have installed a fresh copy of CCS IDE, MPLAB-X, the required 32 bit Java RTE, and the 'MPLAB-X' Plugin as prompted by the CCS IDE.

I am now having issues with programming failing. I was hoping someone could point out, if I've made a simple configuration error; as I'm hoping to avoid lugging this board back and forth to home!

The only 'blank' field in my IDE Options > Paths Dialogue is the "MPLAB PLug-In File", all others have self-populated (I assume correctly) after installing the tools as they were requested.

The CCS Load application seems to see the PICKit 4, but simply errors with "programming failed".

Thanks in advance for any help you can offer!

Backfire · Joined: 12 Oct 2020 Posts: 46

The message log shows:

Ttelmah · Joined: 11 Mar 2010 Posts: 19515

Have you actually gone into MPLAB-X, and activated the CCS stuff in here?.
If I remember correctly, the programming using this, uses the driver stuff
that is part of MPLAB-X, so it has to actually be setup inside MPLAB-X before
it will work.

Backfire · Joined: 12 Oct 2020 Posts: 46

Hi Mr. T,
I believe I have activated the CCS toolchains correctly in MPLAB-X. MPLAB-X can certainly see the device on the board...:

Ttelmah · Joined: 11 Mar 2010 Posts: 19515

OK.
Have you tried pointing the path to the plugin?. It's normally a directory in
the compiler directory, called 'mplab_ide\modules'. It's a .jar file there.
I suspect you will probably find the best thing to do is talk to CCS. It
sounds as if it should work, and looks as if it is finding things, but then
hiccups when it actually comes to transferring the file.

Backfire · Joined: 12 Oct 2020 Posts: 46

Hi there,
I do have a .jar file at that location ([...]/PICC/mplab_ide), but attempting to set the path for "MPLAB Plug-Ins" to be this through the IDE config dialogue seems to make no difference, in 'Applying' the changes, the line just blanks out again.

I'll email support and see what they say, many thanks.

Regards,
Josh.

asmallri · Joined: 12 Aug 2004 Posts: 1634 Location: Perth, Australia

Backfire · Joined: 12 Oct 2020 Posts: 46

Hi there,
apologies for not getting back sooner. I have successfully read the memory of the PIC on the PCB using MPLAB-X, so I think the issue is still likely to be a software one.

The IPE from Microchip seems to now be bundled with the install of MPLAB-X, and no longer available as a stand-alone application, which I know it was previously; which is both strange and annoying!

Kind regards,
Josh.

Ttelmah · Joined: 11 Mar 2010 Posts: 19515

No.
The point is that actually programming is a very different operation to
just 'reading' the chip. Programming means the code has to read a file, and
raise the voltage to put the chip into programming mode. Reading that chip
can be done with only low voltage operations. It is possible that
there is a problem when actually programming, so it is well worth making
sure that this is actually working.
Standard thing with any 'debugging' operation it to rule out everything
that you can. I'd 'guess' it will work, but it worth checking.

Backfire · Joined: 12 Oct 2020 Posts: 46

I'm away from the PC for the rest of today, but I guess on Friday I'll uninstall and reinstall MPLAB-X with the IPE and see if a programming operation works.

I'll let you know how it goes.

Kind regards,
Josh.

asmallri · Joined: 12 Aug 2004 Posts: 1634 Location: Perth, Australia

Ttelmah · Joined: 11 Mar 2010 Posts: 19515

There is also one other possibility. Permissions.
The act of writing the file to the chip, requires that the code at this point
can actually read the file. So something silly like the program not actually
having read permission could cause this to fail. I remember there was some
issue that you had to run CCSLoad with administrator permissions to
make everything work. So might be worth right clicking the IDE shortcut,
and selecting 'run as administrator' and seeing it this makes it work.

Backfire · Joined: 12 Oct 2020 Posts: 46

So...
I have performed a full, fresh re-install of MPLAB-X (having deleted persistant directories and user configuration information) with the 'Install IPE' option also selected. The removal of all versions of Java, and the re-install of a CCS provided Java version.

CCSLoad still fails to program the device.

Microchip IPE can program / read AND verify chip contents without issue, so sadly looks like this is a CCSLoad issue.

...edit / addendum...

This is the case when "Running as Administrator"